Since I was a child, the idea of killing animals to eat them has bothered me and made me very sad. However, living with a meat-eating family and in a heavy meat-eating country like Brazil, becoming a vegetarian did not seem to be an option. I did not know any vegetarians and the ones I had heard of were all very eccentric people or famous artists. I thought it was simply not possible for normal people to be vegetarians.
When I was around 19 years old an event challenged this perception. Surprisingly, I found out that my neighbor, who lived right across the street, father of three big friends of mine, does not eat meat, exactly because he does not think it is right to kill animals to eat them. Suddenly, not only I had proof that it was possible for normal people to be vegetarians, but someone had been doing that right in front of me for 14 years and I did not even notice. This happened 30 years ago, and I have never eaten meat again.
If you have met me, you know I am not a preachy person. Why did I write this letter, then? I wrote it because it took me 14 years to find out that my neighbor was a vegetarian and it completely changed my life. There is a chance that the history of how I became a vegetarian might also influence some people and if this is really the case, I just do not want it to take 14 years.
You may say I’m a dreamer, but I am not the only one.
Gil Riella